Mitt Romney Turns His Back On MS Patient In Wheelchair

As Mitt Romney spryly walked around a campaign event to shake hands, he encountered Michael Clayton in his wheelchair. Michael has been debilitated by muscular dystrophy and asked the candidate about his views on medical marijuana, specifically if he would legalize the drug for those that use it for medicinal purposes only. What do you think Mitt had to say?

From RawStory:

At a campaign stop in Dover, NH, Mitt Romney was asked about medical marijuana by Clayton Holton, who has muscular dystrophy. "I have the support of five of my doctors saying I am living proof that medical marijuana works," Holton told Romney.

Romney suggested he use synthetic marijuana instead, but Holton said, "I have tried it and it makes me throw up."

He then asked, "Will you arrest me and my doctors if I get medical marijuana?"

"I'm not in favor of medical marijuana being legal," Romney told Holton curtly, then deliberately turned his back on him to say "Hi, how are you" to other members of the audience.

Wasn't that nice of Mitt? Another member in the audience asked him if he would answer Michael's question but basically ignored him and moved on to other people in the crowd. Apparently Romney would throw Mr. Clayton and his doctors in jail, despite the benefits that the drug provides.

Now that's compassionate conservatism at work!

NY And Now CT Fail To Pass Medical Marijuana Legislation

Last week New York tried to legalize medical marijuana after Governor Spitzer gave his approval to the State Assembly. Unfortunately, Senate Leader Joe Bruno killed the bill. Now in Connecticut both statehouses approved their own legislation, but their Republican Governor wielded her veto power on it.

From The New York Times:

Supporters of the measure were quick to express their disappointment. Gabriel Sayegh, a project director with Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group, called the governor’s veto “unconscionable.”

“It guarantees the continued criminalization of people who are trying to relieve pain and suffering,” Mr. Sayegh said.

The law would have allowed residents 18 or older suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS and other diseases to grow marijuana in their homes with a doctor’s recommendation and a state permit.

Governor Rell had expressed a few different reasons for her veto that reflect the national mood. First off I do not agree with her stating that this would send a bad message to Connecticut's youth. We are talking about the pain of sick people Ms. Rell, not about getting high for fun.

Now there are other reasons that have more merit, such as forcing people to seek out drug dealers for their marijuana. Those are problems that need to be fixed in the bill, as they were in California.

Lastly, her qualms over the difference between State and Federal law shows the changing opinion of marijuana's medicinal use. The Feds hate it because they don't regulate it and the pharmaceutical industry that has infiltrated Washington would have trouble profiting from it. From a revenue perspective, it is easier to sell their drugs created in the laboratory. However, when there is a change in the nation about a particular subject, the states tend to reflect the coming wave, often years before it has an effect on Washington. Governor Rell could have stood up for the people of Connecticut, but she chose to cower to Washington instead.

Medical Marijuana Coming To New York

It seems that New York might become the latest state in the union to legalize medical marijuana. With the current session of the legislature winding down, this bill looks like it will go through, enabling NY residents the ability to cope with serious illnesses by using marijuana. Despite Spitzer's earlier remarks that he would veto the measure, NY state legislator Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan) is confident the Governor would sign the legislation.

From The New York Daily News:

Under the measure, to acquire marijuana a person would have to have a debilitating or life-threatening illness and would need a doctor's note certifying that marijuana would be beneficial.

Those individuals would be limited to possessing no more than 2½ ounces of cultivated pot or 12 growing plants.

The patients would also need to get a registration card from the state Health Department.

But because marijuana is an illegal substance, people who sell pot to such patients could still face criminal charges, Gottfried acknowledged.

Hopefully the bill will also provide for the establishment of marijuana pharmacies. Many states have them but not all have set up a system of distribution. For instance, Arizona legalized the use but never followed through. In order for this to work, patients need accessible locations to pick up their pot or face the risk of buying from drug dealers. People with state licenses are easy prey for law enforcement agencies if they go out on the street for their meds. If Albany is going to do this right, they better go all the way.

Bongs For Bob Barr

The transformation of Bob Barr continues today on the social issues front. It seems that in nine years, Mr. Barr has gone from opposing medical marijuana at all costs to wholeheartedly endorsing the practice. Bob's very own amendment in 1998 prohibited all forms of medicinal use, but now times have changed.

From The Politico:

Bob Barr, who as a Georgia congressman authored a successful amendment that blocked D.C. from implementing a medical marijuana initiative, has switched sides and become a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project.

But that doesn’t mean he has become a bong-ripping hippie. He isn’t pro-drug, he said, just against government intrusion.

“I, over the years, have taken a very strong stand on drug issues, but in light of the tremendous growth of government power since 9/11, it has forced me and other conservatives to go back and take a renewed look at how big and powerful we want the government to be in people’s lives,” Barr said.

Aaron Houston, the project’s government relations director, said Barr brings a “great deal of credibility, particularly among people on the Republican side of the aisle.”

“He certainly would not have been the first person I would have expected to sign off to us, but I’m very pleased that he has,” Houston said. “I’m very pleased that he has come around, and I hope he serves as an example to his former colleagues.”

I don't know if Mr. Barr has 'credibility,' he did go as far as appearing in Sacha Cohen's 'Borat' flick for some public exposure. His facial expression after drinking breast milk was priceless and perhaps his addition to MPP will add priceless material to their fight to allow marijuana to be used to treat those in need.

Republicans are one group where outreach is sorely needed. However the former Congressman has had quite the independent run after leaving Congress in 2003, so we'll have to see if his past credentials still hold up, especially with the wingnuts penchant for eating their own for straying from the party line.